It's Not You, It's Your Mother!
by Kal-El Fornia
Summary: Yagami Hikari loves most of the aspects of her life, from her fulfilling career as a kindergarten teacher to her novelist fiance Takaishi Takeru that she lives in a great home with, but the one thing that she can truly say she hates, knowing that it hates her right back, is her annoying future mother-in-law Takaishi Natsuko.
1. The First Noël

So I decided to write this to get away from all the heavy stuff that I normally do on this site, and I just thought it would be fun to just do something where Natsuko, a character that I very much love, is the obnoxious future in-law to Hikari. While there will be heavy elements of Takari considering the fact that they need to be engaged for this plot to make any sense, the main point of this is the relationship between Hikari and Takeru's mother. Also, this is not AU. As such, the digimon will be mentioned as will things that happened in our beloved TV shows. Thank the Maker for things like Netflix and Crunchyroll where we can watch it again to relive our childhoods.

Disclaimer: Don't own Digimon.

* * *

It wasn't butterflies that filled Hikari's stomach, but dragons as she paced around the living room and waited for the visitor they were expecting. Takeru had told her time and again the previous night before they went to bed not to worry and to be relaxed about it all since it was just his mother who was going to be staying over, but Hikari knew better than Takeru did that 'relaxation' and 'Natsuko' were two words that never went well when put in the same sentence.

It wasn't that Hikari disliked the woman, in fact when it came to Natsuko's professionalism and hard-hitting journalism that had won her a Pulitzer Prize Hikari idolized her, but in a more personal sense, something that only happened when Hikari started dating her son when they were seventeen, the two of them had never really gotten along since then. It was different when she had just been friends with Takeru back in high school, at that time Takeru had been very seriously dating an artistic type that came from a wealthy family with good connections whom Natsuko just absolutely adored, going so far as to joke that the artist girl was going to be her future daughter-in-law. Hikari had liked Takeru back then, she hadn't been in love with him but she liked him nonetheless, and she had decided not to try and interfere with Takeru's relationship with the wealthy girl, but that all changed when Takeru randomly burst into her apartment one night while she had been watching a game show with her family to declare his undying devotion to her. Hikari had thought it had been romantic at the time and had decided to date him, which led to her current engagement to him six years later, but needless to say, Natsuko had been more devastated by the break-up than anyone else.

"I don't know why you're so worried," Takeru began after silently watching his fiance frantically walk circles all over the room. He and Patamon were as excited as ever to see their mom visit again, Tailmon just looked bored as she tried to sleep on the couch right beside the giddy Patamon but to be fair she always looked bored, and Hikari was the only one who looked at all flustered. "my mom loves it here."

Hikari stopped in her tracks, and then glared at Takeru. "This house that you bought maybe, but she hates me!"

Takeru chuckled. "Of course she doesn't hate you! She just," he paused for a second trying to think of the most appropriate words to use, "wants to protect her baby boy."

"For six years?" she demanded.

"What can I say?" Takeru shrugged. "She's a good mother."

Exasperated, Hikari sighed and walked over to the couch to plop herself beside Takeru. She understood why he wouldn't want to think anything bad about his own mother, and she got why Takeru wanted to sit there and pretend that everything was gum drops and unicorn poop and ignore that the two most important women in his life didn't get along. Sure, she thought that the nightly one, sometimes two, hour phone calls between Takeru and his mom were a bit annoying, especially since Natsuko always seemed to call whenever they were about to start naughty fun bedroom time, and sure, she hated how Natsuko was still practically best friends with Takeru's ex-girlfriend from high school and how he didn't see any kind of problem with it, but Hikari would have been able to forgive everything, including that time she set Takeru up on a blind date with the daughter of an Arabian Sheik she had interviewed, so long as Natsuko finally accepted their relationship after six long years.

She reminisced about moments that only reinforced the unpleasantness of her future mother-in-law, and then she turned her head over to her fiance. "Do you remember the last time that she visited and she wouldn't eat the lemon chicken I cooked because she said she was allergic?"

Takeru immediately defended his mother. "To be fair, Atushi didn't want to eat it either."

"Your nephew is four."

He waved it off. "Same difference."

She glared at him for a moment because she knew that he was going to brush it off, and then she smacked him in the arm before she continued. "And remember how she made us all go to that restaurant to eat since apparently my cooking could have killed her?"

"Yeah?" Takeru answered slowly, not sure where it was that Hikari was going with the conversation.

"Do you remember what she ordered?" she pressed.

"I can't say that I do."

"The lemon chicken."

"Well," Takeru started before his face fell when a realization hit. "damn."

She nodded her head once to make her point. "And do you remember that cruise trip fiasco?"

Takeru grinned when he remembered what had turned out to be one of the most awesome vacations that he had ever taken. "Well, that one was my fault really. I got on the wrong boat."

"Takeru!" Hikari pinched him in the arm to get the smile off his face. "The woman sent you on a super model cruise."

He rubbed his arm and prepared to protest, but then the two of them heard the doorbell ring. Hikari took in a deep breath to prepare herself for a day filled with Natsuko. Reluctantly she stood up and trudged towards the door to answer it, though before she did she made sure her make-up and hair were okay so that Natsuko wouldn't innocently ask if she was cosplaying as a prostitute again.

As her hand rested on the doorknob however, Hikari couldn't bring herself to turn it. Was she prepared for another week of backhanded compliments? Could she handle being around the woman without having the desire to sneak into her room in the middle of the night and suffocate her with a pillow?

At first it was in amusement that Takeru watched his fiance prepare for his mother, but after a while he had started to get somewhat worried. After staring at Hikari simply grabbing onto the doorknob of their front door, not doing anything more other than that, Takeru sighed and stood up to walk over to her. He loved his mother, but he understood that Hikari sometimes had difficulty with her.

"You know," he began as he rested a hand on Hikari's shoulder. "she probably already saw us through the window."

"We can hide?" she offered.

His hand rubbed her in sympathy. "It'll be fun."

She took a deep breath since she knew that there was no getting out of Natsuko's visit. She closed her eyes and braced herself, and then turned around to face Takeru. "If I kill her you have to help me bury her."

Takeru only laughed, not knowing how serious Hikari was. "Seal it with a kiss?" he leaned forward.

Instead of agreeing, she raised a finger to stop him. "Sorry, it will mess up my make-up."

He frowned for a moment, but then just shrugged and raised his pinky up to her instead. "Pinky promise then?"

She accepted the gesture, but right before she was about to thank him for it, she heard the door bell ring again. She turned back around to face that gateway to hell that was known as her front door, and not giving herself any option to run away she immediately opened it. It was at that moment that she came face to face with her archenemy.

"Momma!" Takeru went in for a hug as soon as he saw his mother.

After the hug, the woman pulled away from her son's embrace and smiled as she grabbed him by the chin and took a moment to study his face. "Takeru, you're more and more handsome every time that I see you! And Patamon!" she continued as the digimon flew from the couch into her arms. "It's always nice to see you too. You're adorable."

It had been too long since she had seen either of them on account of the fact that she had been touring North America unveiling her newest book to eager crowds of young passionate women. It was a book further showcasing the contemporary role that the young feminist has when it comes to shaping the future of the world. Natsuko had loved the trip and the people who had all gone to support her new book, but there wasn't anything that quite beat coming back to Japan to spend a week or two staying with one of her boys. As she looked at the expectantly waiting Yagami Hikari however out of the corner of her eye, Natsuko did admit that there were things about visiting her youngest son Takeru that she had never been quite so fond of.

On her end, Hikari smiled and waited for Natsuko to greet her just as she had Takeru and Patamon, and sighed in resignation for what she expected from the week ahead when the woman simply invited herself in and walked right past her without even saying a word. Takeru made himself busy grabbing Natsuko's luggage and bringing it inside, and Hikari reluctantly turned and followed Natsuko over to the living room and sat on the couch that was opposite Takeru's mother. They sat in silence, with the exception of Tailmon yawning, and she watched as Natsuko rested her eyes meaningfully on Tailmon.

The older woman raised a hand to pet Tailmon, but after a moment decided that it was best not to and simply squeezed on tighter to Patamon again. "You know, you shouldn't keep a cat in the house if you're pregnant. It could make the baby sick."

Hikari looked at Tailmon who had no idea that people were talking about her at the moment, and then back to Natsuko who really should have known better considering she was supposed to be some great journalist of her generation. "I'm pretty sure that's an old wives tale. Also," she added almost as an afterthought, "I'm not pregnant."

Natsuko only shook her head and proceeded to give Hikari one of those 'mother knows best' looks. "Honey, we can all see that you're pregnant."

At first, her mouth opened and she couldn't say anything because of the sheer audacity of it all. It wasn't as if Natsuko saying something backhanded had been new to her or something that she hadn't grown to expect, but this was the first time that Natsuko had ever gone so far. It took Hikari a moment to get her bearings, but when she did she had to stop herself from glaring at the woman.

She did her best to maintain the air of civility that she had been trying to culture for the past week and a half in preparation of the visit. "Takeru and I are not having a baby."

Natsuko just sighed and looked down in disappointment. "I know that you kids love that you're living in sin and the rock n' roll lifestyle that you two currently have, but do you really need to take it out on the baby?"

Hikari's eyes widened, not sure where Natsuko pulled her crap from. "Rock n' roll lifestyle? Takeru and I do yoga twice a week, and the most hardcore thing that we do is like eating chocolate pudding while we pay our taxes. That, or going antiquing." the young teacher raised her hands in mockery. "Watch out guys! That couple is buying insurance, you don't know what they'll do next!"

Not having a clever retort to that, Natsuko only scoffed and looked away from Hikari. Instead she waited until her son was done bringing in all the luggage she had brought, which was more than he thought she would have, and she smiled at her boy as he then joined them in the living room when he finished.

"So," Takeru smiled and clapped his hands once, all the while hoping that nothing too bad had been said in his absence. "are you guys ready to go and meet Yamato at the restaurant?"

Hikari grinned at her fiance, glad for a distraction, and as Natsuko watched the two of them she then got an idea. "I can't wait to see your brother and his family. And you know, I think I already know what I want to order."

Takeru shared a glance with Hikari before he looked back at his mother and raised an eyebrow in skepticism. "Oh yeah? What?"

Ignoring her son, Natsuko smirked at Hikari. "Lemon chicken."

* * *

I made a reference to another story of mine just for the fun of it, and if you guys have read it you probably would have recognized it right in the second paragraph as to why. Haha, sorry friends but I couldn't help myself. Anyways, I had fun with this and will look forward to continuing this romp. Or, at least I think it was a romp. I have no idea how you guys felt about it.

Next chapter will deal with them at the restaurant I think, unless I come up with a different idea that I like more than that one. We'll see comrades, we'll see.

In any case, if you read then I have to give you my thanks for that. More thanks if you favorited, followed, or reviewed it though.

Peace be upon you folks.


	2. French Foreign Legion

So here I am with chapter 2! I began this story as a distraction from the usual heavy-toned stuff that I tend to write, and I'm glad that I've been having fun with it so far. I just wanted to let you guys know that if you're expecting a super sad ending or anything like that, you're out of luck. This will have a happy ending, no doubt about that. Also, don't hate on Natsuko too much! Haha, she is a character that I do quite love when it comes to Digimon.

Also, I've decided to use Frank Sinatra songs for the chapter titles since old blue eyes has always been a favorite of mine.

Disclaimer: Out of tradition, don't own Digimon.

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The whole ride over to the restaurant where they were going to have brunch with the Ishidas had been a grating one for Hikari, especially when Natsuko had demanded that they listen to one of those radio personalities who liked to stir up controversy. It wasn't that Natsuko personally liked those kinds of programs, in fact Hikari recalled a piece that her future mother-in-law had written a year or two back about how those kinds of shock jocks were ruining the radio industry, but Hikari knew why exactly Natsuko had wanted them all to hear what this particular shock jock had to say, especially when said jock began talking about how the current education system in Japan would have been perfect had it not been for all of the terrible teachers.

Thankfully, they had only had to listen to the radio program for fifteen or sixteen minutes after Natsuko had made Takeru turn to the station, because it was then that they pulled into the parking lot of a French styled restaurant, Takeru having chosen the place to suck up to his mommy. It wasn't even something that he tried to deny when she had accused him of it, and Hikari resigned herself to the upcoming meal as she stepped out of the backseat of the car. It wasn't that she disliked French food, though she had never really been fond of it either, but the fact that Takeru endlessly tried to please his mother had always rubbed her the wrong way. Though, Hikari did take solace in closing the door to the car behind her, right in Natsuko's face since the woman had insisted on riding in the back the whole ride over so that she could show just how much she agreed with the shock jock whenever he said how crappy teachers were.

Hikari took in a deep breath, and didn't even bother waiting for her fiance or his mother as she made her way to the entrance of the restaurant. She told the hostess of the restaurant that she was meeting the Ishida party, and was soon led by one of the servers towards four people sitting in what looked like a comfy place in the very fancy building. As she walked towards Yamato and Sora's family, Hikari took her time to admire the work that was indeed put into creating the ambiance of the place. Oddly enough considering the whole French thing, there was jazz music floating about the room, and that accompanied with all the different artwork strewn around the walls made her rethink the fact that perhaps this wasn't the worst choice for a place to eat.

"How's the whole trying not to murder my mom thing going?" Yamato joked as Hikari was finally led to them. Though he meant it in jest, he did pity any young woman who ever tried to live up to the expectations of a tiger mom.

After thanking the server who had led her to the table, Hikari sighed and sat in an empty seat that had two more empty chairs on both sides of her. Had she chosen one of the other seats Natsuko would have made it a point sit right in between her youngest son and his fiance, and after making sure she was properly seated, she answered Yamato.

"Better than usual," she admitted, "so far I've only contemplated poisoning her twice."

Yamato only laughed, loving it. "Atta girl, just keep it up and you won't be arrested for second degree murder."

Not appreciating the topic at hand, Sora lightly slapped Yamato on the arm to remind him that his two young children, the older Kana and the younger Atushi, were with them. When Yamato stopped laughing, Sora turned to Hikari and nodded once at the young woman, understanding where she was coming from. "Are you doing okay this time? If you ever need it, we'd be willing to take Natsuko off your hands."

It was a nice thought, and Hikari was glad to have people like Sora and Yamato as in-laws. She had also found it to be cliché that a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law didn't get along with each other, but even so that was exactly how her own relationship with her future husband's mother had turned out. She didn't respond Sora however and simply mouthed a thank you to the woman because it was at that moment that the same server who had led her to Yamato and Sora had now done the same for Takeru and Natsuko as well.

"Sora!" Natsuko quickly dashed over to the aforementioned woman, and practically pulled her out of her seat. "My darling girl!"

Hikari smiled at Takeru when he sat beside her and as he sent a wave to the Ishidas, but she couldn't help but simply watch and honestly feel a little bit envious of Sora. It wasn't that Hikari had particularly wanted to bond with Natsuko, but as she watched her future sister-in-law give her future mother-in-law a hug right back, she felt that that was the kind of relationship she wanted to have with the woman, especially since the alternative was a lifetime of backhanded compliments and of Natsuko 'forgetting' that she was a member of the family. Hikari conceded that her being a Takaishi wasn't exactly official yet, but she might as well have been considering the fact that she and Takeru shared a bed at night and paid their taxes together.

She didn't say a word and just kept her eyes on Natsuko as the woman then greeted her son and hugged her two grandchildren, while sitting down in her spot beside Atushi. While she didn't exactly like the woman, as Natsuko began playing with Atushi, Hikari did admit that the journalist had kindness in her heart, even if it was reserved for people who didn't have the last name Yagami. Atushi had popped along into existence without incidence four years ago, but the same wasn't the case for his six year old sister Kana. Hikari remembered how much of a drama bomb Kana had been since she had been born to the then twenty year old Sora out of wedlock, and how after Sora's family had not welcomed the news, Natsuko had stepped up to the plate. The way the woman had supported and been there for Sora and Yamato had garnered a lot of respect from Hikari, most of which fizzled out over the years due to everything else.

It was something to think about, and it was exactly what she did as she silently considered everything about her future mother-in-law. The only time she spoke in those initial five minutes of everyone sitting down was to make her order of Coq au vin, and Natsuko, surprise surprise, had ordered the chicken Francese with lemon.

"Don't you agree, Hikari dear?" Natsuko laughed, bringing Hikari out of her zoned out state.

Embarrassed to admit that she hadn't been paying attention to the conversation, Hikari shrugged slightly. "About what?"

Natsuko took that moment to shake her head in disapproval, before she then pointed over at Kana's short blonde hair, which was styled the same way as when Yamato had taken his very first journey in the digital world. "Oh, just that Kana-chan needs to let her hair grow out a bit more. Otherwise, she's going to look like a boy just like you did when you were younger."

Sora brought a hand to her mouth, thinking that even Natsuko would hold off her insults for Hikari when it came to saying them in front of children. Her eyes went back and forth between the two women who were sitting beside each other, Hikari looking pissed and Natsuko looking as if she hadn't just said something super offensive.

Hikari grabbed onto her glass of water and brought it up to her mouth, fighting off the urge to 'accidentally' spill some on her fiance's mother. "I never looked like a boy."

Natsuko laughed it off, as if they were old girlfriends being catty with one another and catching up together after years of chasing after younger men and marrying homosexuals for the quirkiness of it all. "You know," the woman began, "for the longest time I thought that Takeru was gay."

Yamato spit up the water he was drinking, Sora kept her hand to her mouth, Hikari felt the urge to spill her own water even more, and the kids just sat there silently, staring on but knowing that it was better to not say anything since Auntie Hikari looked really angry, and the only time she ever looked angry was when Grandma Takaishi came to visit.

Takeru however, looked completely horrified. "Mother!"

"It's true!" Natsuko gave an off-handed wave as she began to explain what she had meant. "When you started dating Hikari I thought it was because you liked her manly features and the hair that was almost as short as yours. Of course Hikari is lovely today, but don't you remember how gorgeous and wonderful poor darling Aya-"

Hikari immediately interrupted Natsuko, sick and tired of hearing that name over and over again whenever the older woman strolled into town. "Don't say her name."

Miffed at having been cut short, Natsuko turned her head. "You catch more flies with honey, dear."

Watching that Hikari practically seethed as the young woman set her glass of water down and gripped tightly onto the table cloth, and watching as Natsuko nonchalantly bobbed her head with the jazz music that was playing in the background, Sora coughed and decided it was best if she just changed the subject. "So, Hikari, how's the wedding planing coming along?"

Glad for the distraction, Hikari sighed and felt her anger subside, if only just a bit. "My mother, Miyako, and Koushiro-san are doing a great job with the day to day stuff-"

"Koushiro?" Natsuko interrupted Hikari this time. "Wasn't he your friend that was a researcher of some sort? I'm pretty sure I interviewed him once for something remotely mad-scientisty."

"You didn't hear?" Yamato began explaining, "Koushiro quit his researcher job to pursue his dream as a part-time fashion designer, part-time actor. Took us all by surprise."

"Odd."

"Anyways," Hikari started up again once Natsuko had shrugged off the Koushiro thing and once she was able to put her focus back on her future sister-in-law, "as I was saying, they've all been doing a great job, and you too, and I'm really grateful for all the different designs you've been showing me for my dress and the bridesmaid's stuff too."

As Sora opened her mouth to tell her Hikari that it was her pleasure to be involved with such a milestone in life, especially since American-style weddings were the ones that were the most fun to do, Natsuko took that opportunity to address her son's fiance. "You could have asked me to help with the wedding. I was married once too, you know?"

"Yeah," Hikari muttered under her breath, "and we all saw how that turned out."

Immediately Takeru elbowed his sweetheart. "What was that, honey pie?"

Grunting since she didn't exactly relish the thought of it, Hikari reluctantly said what Takeru wanted her to. "I was just saying that I still haven't actually picked out my dress yet. I was wondering if you'd like to help me since I am going to be your daughter one day?" Hikari asked, unable to hide her look of dread at that last part.

In all fairness, Natsuko looked disgusted as well, before she remembered to compose herself. "That sounds lovely, dear." Natsuko forced herself to say, before a genuine smile crossed her face when she realized that her baby boy was already a grown up, and when she began reminiscing on when he was the little man of the house all those years way back when it was just the two of them. "You know, I still remember the days where Takeru used to run around thinking that girls had cooties."

"What are cooties?" Kana finally spoke up, after she and her brother had been silent for most of the conversation.

"Those are the germs that little boys catch from little girls," Natsuko explained tenderly.

"Oh," Kana nodded her head in understanding, "you mean like chlamydia?"

The adults simply paled, not knowing what to say back to that, as did the server who had just dropped their food.

* * *

I'll be back in a week!

Next chapter is the wedding dress hunt! This time, with Momma Yagami showing up.


	3. The Lady Is a Tramp

I'm not sure how long I want this story to actually be, I was thinking 8-10 chapters, but we'll see. Anyways, thanks for all the feedback! I was surprised that all you guys actually wanted to read something like this.

As I mentioned, Momma Yagami shows up to tell Natsuko what is what. Also, about Koushiro...that was a throwaway line last chapter that I decided just to shrug and go with. Haha, in light of that he will be ooc, so be prepared for that.

Disclaimer: Don't own Digimon.

* * *

"For the last time, Koushiro," Miyako rubbed her temples in frustration, "Hikari doesn't need to show that much cleavage."

"Are you kidding me?" said Koushiro protested as he motioned at the dressed up Hikari who was standing in front of them, "Look at her! She looks like a librarian!"

Miyako scoffed, not liking her choice of Hikari's dress being criticized. "Better a librarian than a hooker. This is a wedding, and not one of your pornos!"

Immediately Koushiro pointed his finger accusingly at Miyako. "That wasn't a porno!" he argued, "That was a work of art!"

The lavender haired woman simply laughed at the absurdity of it all. "Just because you filmed it in black and white while you dressed up as Hitler, and put a voice over of some guy talking about the Vietnam War doesn't make it 'art'." Miyako proceeded to make quote signs with her fingers.

Koushiro clutched his hands to his chest and looked off into the distance, or whatever counted for 'distance' in the bridal boutique that they were in, anyways. "Why are us artists always so scorned in the world?"

Miyako rolled her eyes. "For a genius, you're kind of an idiot."

Hikari just watched on in bewilderment as the two of her friends continued arguing over the correct amount of cleavage she should show off in her wedding dress, and for the moment she was glad that the only people in the boutique at the moment were herself and her party, thanks to Sora promising the boutique the privilege of showcasing her very next design in exchange for the privacy.

She sent an apologetic look over to a saleswoman who was hovering nearby in the boutique, before Hikari glanced over to the other two women in their company, her mother and Natsuko. Yuuko was staring at the arguing pair in amusement as she sipped her water bottle that contained her own delicious invention of a carne asada milkshake, and even Natsuko also couldn't take her eyes off of Koushiro and Miyako, apparently finding them fascinating.

"Guys," she quietly piped up, before Koushiro and Miyako's argument became even more animated.

"How dare you!" Koushiro stood up as if he had just been told by Miyako that she had kidnapped his only child, "That was my masterpiece! My magnum opus!"

Following his lead, Miyako stood up and jabbed her finger into Koushiro's chest with each word that she spoke. "Your magnum opus? That was a black and white video of you eating cereal for six hours!"

The fashion designing actor only scoffed as he turned his head and flipped his scarf. "Like you would understand, Ichijouji, you don't have the soul of a visionary."

She only continued jabbing harder. "At least that 'movie' of yours of you filming the Empire State building overnight was interesting because of that mugging that happened. Other than that? Trash! I can't believe you went all the way to America just to film that. You're not a visionary, you're a lunatic!"

Again, Koushiro clutched his chest dramatically. "I am the music maker. I am the dreamer of dreams."

"Guys," Hikari tried to intervene again while motioning at the very expensive dress she was wearing, "do you remember why we're here?"

Koushiro had opened his mouth to further protest Miyako's claims, as she did the same in response, before they both remembered where they were and looked over at Hikari. Koushiro looked away and sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck, and Miyako only crossed her arms. After about a minute though the two of them apologized for the scene and sat back down in their respective chairs.

Glad that things had calmed down, Hikari smiled and prepared to finally get their opinions on her dress. "So, what do you guys think aside from the neckline?"

Miyako and Koushiro were both watching her contemplatively, Momma Yagami was sipping on her milkshake as she thought, and Natsuko, which didn't surprise Hikari, only looked at her with a disapproving frown. She felt a bit nervous standing in front of them wearing one of the dresses that Sora had designed, especially since her would be sister-in-law had a day full errands so she couldn't be there to properly help her into whatever dress it came time to put on, but she hoped that she looked okay in what she was wearing. Most Japanese women, except those that glamorized themselves as one of those wispy starlets who always passed herself off as 'eccentric', only ever got one wedding in their entire lifetime. The least Hikari thought that she could do was look perfect in her dress.

She had heard other old classmates of hers saying that they had found the perfect dress to look amazing to their fiances, and while looking good to Takeru was a plus, this wedding dress was more than just that. She knew that some people thought of her as the innocent perfect little amazing doll that was there to look cute while hanging off Takeru's arm, but damn it this was supposed to be about her looking awesome! As silly as it sounded to Hikari, and indeed it did sound silly whenever she thought about it, this was her way of telling the world that she was woman, and she was strong.

Though, a little bit of that confidence went out the window as Natsuko frowned and then grimaced. "Are you sure," Natsuko began asking, "you want that particular dress? On a woman like you it might just come off as tacky."

Before Hikari could say anything, Yuuko stopped slurping her carne asada milkshake and turned to Natsuko. She wasn't sure where the woman was going, and narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "What do you mean by that?"

Takeru's mother only shrugged innocently. "I mean that it's a very lovely dress, very sparkly, but can Hikari really pull it off? It does have a sort of...allure of glamour to it, but our dear girl has always come across as more a sweatpants woman than a diamond one."

Hikari frowned and then looked down at the dress she was wearing. Natsuko was right that it maybe did have a bit too much pizzazz on it, and maybe it was a tad gaudy, but she thought that she looked fine in it. She looked over at Koushiro and Miyako for confirmation, and felt a little put out when she saw that they were awkwardly looking around the room, apparently not wanting to say anything about what Natsuko had pointed out. She glanced over at her mother, and saw that Yuuko was silent as she thought on what Natsuko had stated.

A moment later, Yuuko held her head up proudly. "Hikari can pull off anything. On her wedding day it isn't her dress that's going to be shining."

Natsuko stared back at the other glaring woman who was perhaps a bit ticked at any insinuations that she had made, before she turned her head away. "But can she pull off the color white? Maybe that's the more serious question."

Hikari held her breath at that one, hoping that Natsuko wasn't going where it sounded like she was going. It wasn't as if it was a big secret that she and Takeru lived together and shared a bed with one another with all that that entails, and even Susumu himself had reluctantly come to terms with the fact that his daughter wasn't the little girl with pigtails and skinned knees anymore about a year and a half after she had moved in with her then boyfriend and now fiance. The only person who really thought of her as still that young and innocent girl was Taichi, who would forever proclaim that his sister remained untouched even unto the day where would first give birth to her and Takeru's first child. Even so, a bridal boutique where she was trying on her wedding dress wasn't the place to bring this up.

Yuuko narrowed her eyes at Natsuko, pretty sure what the woman had implied, and crossed her arms after she had set down her water bottle. "And what exactly are you getting at, Takaishi?"

Natsuko glanced over at the Yagami matriarch who was glaring at her with accusing eyes, before once again looking over at Hikari. "Oh, forget I said anything." Natsuko announced in her famous sing-song voice after a moment of thought, "It's okay for you to wear a white dress, Hikari dear. We can just pretend that you're a virgin!"

Hikari just sighed and looked down, not surprised that Natsuko would go for a low blow just like that, although what did surprise her was her own mother who, after a moment of sitting quietly, stood up. She didn't know what it was about her mother, there was a look in her eye that Hikari never actually recalled ever seeing before, but something inside of her was telling her that she was going to love her mommy now even more then she ever thought would be possible.

Yuuko's arms were still crossed as she eyed Natsuko up and down, before she snorted, not caring what Takeru was going to think. She loved the young man to death, he did indeed make her Hikari very happy, but the only thing that was going through her mind at that moment was defending her daughter. "I think you should leave, Natsuko."

The other woman only blinked, not expecting that sort of reaction out of Yuuko. "Excuse me?"

"I said leave," the woman repeated before making a shooing motion with one of her hands, "you're not welcome here."

Natsuko pursed her lips for a moment, unsure of how to proceed from there. She glanced over at Hikari who looked on in dread and anticipation, and then at the arguing duo from before who just looked around and pretended as if nothing at all was happening, before she straightened up in her spot and spoke again. "Well, I never-"

Immediately, Yuuko just interrupted her. "Well, you should."

Natsuko grabbed onto her purse and considered just leaving without making more of a fuss, before deciding to make one last effort to stay. "This is about my son's wedding."

Momma Yagami just shrugged, feeling that Takaishi Natsuko wasn't used to being told off. "And it's also about my daughter's. I might not have some fancy university degree like you do, or a series of best-selling books, but I know full well when someone is insulting my daughter. If Hikari wants you around to help plan with other parts of her wedding that's on her, but I'll be helping pick out her dress."

Natsuko was about to protest, but then shut her mouth and just stood up, preparing to walk out of the boutique. She stared Yuuko right in her eyes, perhaps to gauge the woman out, before she sighed and looked over at Hikari. "I'll put your dinner in the microwave for you for whenever you come home."

With that, Natsuko walked out of the boutqiue, and Momma Yagami sat down with a satisfied smirk on her face as she went back to slurping her carne asada milkshake. Everyone else however was silent for the moment, letting all the drama settle in. Hikari breathed a sigh of relief and she was grateful that her mother had stood up for her, but she would have preferred it if the situation was perhaps handled in a different way. Still, she smiled at Yuuko, thankful that Momma Yagami had always been this protective whenever it came to one of her bear cubs, so to speak.

Koushiro though, he saw his own opportunity come up in the midst of all the trouble, and that he, like a Phoenix in Arizona, would rise up. He adjusted his scarf and beret, and stood up and walked over to Hikari.

"So, Hikari," Koushiro began as he sleazily wrapped an arm around the bride to be, "about those breasts of yours?"

In her seat Miyako only facepalmed.

* * *

This was a bit too dramatic for my taste, I felt this chapter was weaker than the first two, but the next chapter (which I've already started working on) is my favorite so far. This time Natsuko takes center stage, and I debut one character in particular who I find to be very dear to me.

**Off topic rambling time!**

A little more than half an hour from now the series finale of Breaking Bad will premiere. For those who don't know me, Breaking Bad is indeed my favorite television show, so I've been having butterflies in my stomach all week about...this. If none of you have seen Breaking Bad, watch it on Netflix.

The show is about Walter White (played by Bryan Cranston who played Hal from Malcolm in the Middle), and his evolution from Mr. Chips to Scarface. Walter White is a mild-mannered high school chemistry teacher who has spent his life as a doormat to other people who, after being diagnosed with cancer and teaming up with a former student of his, takes up the pseudonym of Heisenberg to use his chemistry skills to create and sell crystal meth, and through a series of improbable but not impossible events, becomes the most ruthless drug kingpin in the American southwest as he leaves a massive trail of bodies in his wake.


	4. Send in the Clowns

When I said a character was going to show up who happens to be very dear to me, some of you should have known who it was.

Disclaimer: Digimon, not mine.

* * *

"So, let me get this straight," Jun quirked an eyebrow as she asked Natsuko the reason for the late night visit while she finished preparing refreshments for everyone present, "you want me to slay Hikari?"

Natsuko blinked as Jun handed her a vanilla milkshake, and was silent for a moment while she waited for the young woman to join her in sitting on one of the couches that were around the coffee table of the apartment. Jun's eyebrow was still quirked as she waited for an answer, but Natsuko couldn't help but be distracted and kept stealing glances at Jun's extremely creepy digimon partner, even as the woman finally sat down and joined them.

She watched as Jun handed a milkshake over to the clown digimon and how she held onto the last one for herself. The clown was reading John Milton's _Paradise Lost _for a book club he was apparently in, and honestly seemed to be minding his own business apart from grunting in satisfaction when he tasted the drink that Jun had gotten him, but there was something oddly familiar about the creature that Natsuko couldn't quite place her finger on. She didn't really know why, but the woman felt the need to perhaps stress the fact that she wanted Hikari to, well, not die.

"Obviously I don't want the girl dead." the woman emphasized, Natsuko actually being sincere about that particular fact, despite what others might think.

"You said that you needed me to take drastic measures."

"Yeah, and by that I meant that I needed you to make her think that she's fat or something like that."

Jun narrowed her eyes suspiciously at the Takaishi matriarch, and then shared a glance with the Piemon who had looked up from the book he was reading before she focused back on the woman. "So you want me to crush her spirit?"

Natsuko shook her head because although she did want to crush Hikari just a little bit, maybe just crush her spleen or pancreas metaphorically speaking, but crushing her spirit was perhaps just the tiniest bit extreme. "No, that's a bit too much I think. Maybe bring her to the point of tears of frustration perhaps, but not to the point of actually crying."

Jun's face remained stoic as she considered her current options. She looked back over at the Piemon that had been her partner ever since he showed up with a suitcase at her front door, and when after a minute or so he just shrugged and went back to reading, Jun took a long drink from her milkshake before replying Natsuko.

"Woman, you're really breaking my digimon's balls here if you expect us to take out Hikari without making her cry or anything else of that nature."

Before the older woman could respond, Piemon gave a defeated sigh since he was sick of the fact that humans apparently couldn't comprehend the simple rules that digimon biology adhered to.

"I don't have balls. Digimon don't actually reproduce since the way that we're born involves a perpetual cycle of reincarnation instead of anything else, so I actually don't have any sort of genitalia or sexual organs. Although I am humanoid in appearance, there is no reason for me to have anything of the sort like you humans do since, again, reincarnation. If not for the Darwinian evolution that so many of you humans insist is real, then for the fact that this is the way that I am programmed considering the fact that I, like all digimon, am made up of data."

As Natsuko was about to say something again, this time she was interrupted by a curious sounding Jun. "Then why does Angewoman have giant voluptuous breasts? I ask because if digimon don't reproduce sexually or nurse their young, then aren't breasts pointless to them?"

The virus digimon just waved it off. "Because she's hot?"

After a few minutes of back and forth between Jun and her digimon pal, Natsuko couldn't help but simply watch in bewilderment as the two continued to discuss the more intimate and curious notions of digimon biology and the sociological imagination. She didn't interrupt at first since she didn't want to be rude, but after taking a look at her watch and frowning since she had hoped that she would already be on her way back to Takeru's home by this particular time at night, Natsuko coughed to get their attention.

She was about to bring up the reason she was there in the first place, but felt a shiver go up her spine when Piemon proceeded to sneeze and when, with the sneeze, the sound of tormented screams filled the room. "I don't want to sound rude or anything, but does your digimon always have to be so creepy? I'm pretty sure that instead of farting he releases ominous Latin chanting every time he makes a bowel moment."

Jun just shrugged. "Some people get adorable pig-bats like Patamon, or even talking cats that have sass going on in all the right places. It's not my fault that I got stuck with Stephen King's It over here."

"I didn't ask to be your partner either!" the digimon in question protested.

"See what I have to deal with? I mean, I can handle the nightmarish and hellish visions of the tragedies that are yet to pass in the world that I get since I sleep under the same roof as the Joker here, and I can deal with the fact that every time someone accidentally bumps into him while out doing errands that they are forever cursed by disturbing imagery of the moment of their deaths, but he's not the least bit grateful that I provide for him!"

Piemon just rolled his eyes, since he was doing just fine before he was assigned to pal around with Jun for the past decade. "I can catch my own food, you know."

"Homeless people don't count as food."

"Whatever." Piemon scoffed and turned his head to the side, sounding like a petulant preteen girl who was just told by her parents that she was still too young to have a boyfriend.

Not liking that her digimon was acting like a brat, Jun reached over to the coffee table, grabbed a magazine that was lying on it with the hand that wasn't holding onto her milkshake, and then rolled it up and proceeded to hit the mega-level digimon on the back of the head. "Get a job."

The two began arguing again, and Natsuko rubbed her temples for a moment because she thought that she was going to end up getting a headache if she listened to them bicker any longer. Deciding it was best to change the topic to anything else just to stop the increasingly bothersome squabbling, Natsuko looked Jun and Piemon over, and a thought came to her when she saw the book that the digimon had resting in his lap.

"You know, Piemon, I too quite enjoyed John Milton's _Paradise Lost_."

At the moment where the digimon was going to yell at Jun that she wasn't his real father and thus couldn't order him around, he immediately became distracted by Natsuko when he found out that she too was a fan of one of his favorite works of literature, right after the 'Inferno' section of Dante Alighieri's _Divine Comedy _of course. "It is a lovely book, isn't it? I can really relate with the Satan character. He's a lovable rascal and seems like a very nice chap."

Instantly, she regretted using that particular book as the distraction. She really didn't have much to say to that, but it was then that it hit Natsuko where exactly she got the familiar feeling from Piemon from. "Didn't the kids fight a Piemon in their adventures in the digital world? I'm pretty sure that Takeru showed me a scene of that in the upcoming finale to his first trilogy."

The clown digimon coughed nervously and his eyes began to shiftily move from side to side as he gave his very unconvincing answer. "That was totally a different Piemon. If you didn't know, we're everywhere in the Digital World."

Before more questions could be asked about whether or not if he was the Piemon that the kids had apparently slain, the digimon gave a sigh of relief when Jun butted in and changed the topic. "Wait, did you say that there's going to be another trilogy after Digimon Adventure?"

"Yup," Natsuko confirmed, "it's going to be the trilogy where they dump all the characters that everyone has come to love and adore from Digimon Adventure into being background characters, and Takeru is going to shove your brother into the limelight for some reason to give him all the coolest scenes and digimon transformations."

"Strange."

"I know, right? At the moment his plan for it is for the second trilogy to be called Digimon Adventure 02, but I'm sure that he'll come up with something much more creative when the time comes."

Jun nodded her head, believing that Takeru was clearly creative enough to come up with a better title. "Hopefully he doesn't ruin the series that so many people have embraced all around the world."

"Well, the first trilogy right now is going to end with a beautiful and bittersweet moment where the kids not only grow stronger within themselves while at the same time they learn that everyone has to grow up eventually, but also in a way that leaves things ending on a poetically sad, but yet still oddly happy, moment."

"What about the second trilogy?"

"I'm not sure since he hasn't started writing it yet, but I'm sure he'll end it the same way, or perhaps he may even find a way to make the story even more beautiful."

Jun took a slurp of her milkshake before nodding once more, agreeing with Natsuko. "As long as he doesn't end the series with some crappy distant finale epilogue, I'm sure the fans will be pleased."

Remembering that she was there for a reason, Natsuko coughed, embarrassed that she had let herself become distracted after her goal was simply to distract someone else. "So, are you willing to help me out or not?"

Jun's face contorted in thought. "I don't know, Natsuko. I mean, I like Hikari. She seems like a nice gal."

"I thought you might say that," Natsuko quickly responded as she finally set her milkshake down and pulled out a check that she had prepared earlier out of her purse. After giving it one final look over to see that the money would most likely be sufficient, she handed it over to the young woman. "so I wrote this check out in your name beforehand."

Taking the check and eyes widening over the amount of money being offered, Jun greedily smiled. "Well, I don't like Hikari THAT much. I'm your woman as long as it doesn't interfere with my real job."

"You have a real job?" the older woman questioned, Jun not seeming like the type.

"I'm a linguistics professor." Jun confirmed.

"I wouldn't have thought that."

"Yup, I'm a badass genius with a great rack. So, how quickly do you want me to break up this engagement?"

"You misunderstand me, Motomiya. I don't want this wedding broken up, I just want you to make Hikari look bad. That, or hurt her feelings, but not too much. Either or is good for me."

"So, you want this wedding to go on then?"

Natsuko nodded. "She makes Takeru happy and for some reason he's in love with her. So yes, don't do anything that will break up this wedding."

Jun thought it was weird but figured that since she was getting paid that she wouldn't question it. Curious as to if her partner would be up for it, she looked over at her digimon. "You in to help me, Piemon?"

"Do we get to kill her?" Piemon questioned, hoping that the woman had changed her mind about that.

The woman watched as Jun and Piemon looked at her expectantly for confirmation, before she shook her head. "No. I would very much appreciate it if you didn't slaughter Hikari."

After a moment of thought, Piemon just shrugged since he figured that getting to make a young woman feel insecure about herself, while not as fun as the good ol' stabbity stab stab, was at least something. "I'm still in."

Glad that she was going to have help on her upcoming adventure, Jun stood up and announced, "From this moment forth, Takaishi Natsuko, I will insert myself into Hikari's life."

Elsewhere and across the city a young woman who was resting in bed with her fiance, each of them reading John Milton's _Paradise Lost _since that was what their book club was reading that month, felt a shiver go up her spine. Her name was Hikari and for some reason she felt cold all of a sudden.

"Is everything fine, dear?" Takaishi Takeru questioned as he kept his eyes on his book and not on his the bride-to-be.

"I just felt something evil happen."

"Last time you felt something 'evil'," Takeru made air quotes with his hands after he set down his book and looked over at Hikari, "it was just Patamon raiding the fridge after you put him on that diet. I'm starting to think that your light powers are getting kind of rusty."

"I'm serious, Takeru."

Takeru just sighed as he reluctantly rolled out of bed. "I'll check on Patamon."

* * *

If you count the Digimon CD dramas released in Japan as canon, I'm pretty sure they are, it is found out later that Jun eventually gets a digimon partner of her own, along with Iori's grandfather. Is that partner a Piemon? Haha, probably not, but I shrugged and decided to just go with it.

Next chapter will involve some warp digivolving.


	5. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

This is so much fun for me to write that whenever I sit down to work on this, I pop out a chapter like nothing!

Anyways, does anyone else remember in the epilogue when you see Daisuke as the cover of TIME magazine? As much as I like Daisuke I have to raise my eyebrow in skepticism at that. His noodles can't be that good.

Disclaimer: Out of tradition, don't own Digimon.

* * *

The most annoying part about the fact that Natsuko had now stayed with them two and a half months longer than what was supposed to be her initial one week visit was the fact that in that entire time, by week three Hikari was starting to think it was on purpose, that she hadn't been able to get any action with her fiance. Whether it was something like a prolonged kiss or even the two of them preparing for some naughty fun bedroom time, Natsuko always found a way to interrupt and drag Takeru off to do some task or run some errand, always with an innocent look on her face. Really it was one of the most frustrating things about the current visit, not because of how it just reinforced the woman's dislike for her, but because, well, she liked to experience that kind of thing with her fiance, despite her older brother's claims that she was still an untouched maiden. Regardless, Hikari felt safe in saying that Takeru was one fine piece of Grade-A meat, starry eyed young acquaintances of theirs, both men and women, quite agreeing her.

"I have to go," Takeru sighed annoyingly as he and Hikari were half-nakedly tangled in their bed sheets, and as his mother called out his name from downstairs, just like she had the night before when he and Hikari had attempted 'raising the barn' so to speak, or the night before last night when they had tried out some role play, Hikari dressed as Taichi and Takeru as Yamato, that Natsuko had practically burst into their room before they had gotten started as she announced that there was an emergency.

"Can't you just ignore her?" Hikari pleaded when she grabbed onto Takeru's arms the moment that she felt him begin to pull away, since after two and a half months this was something that she needed.

As he looked down at his future wife's pleading face he almost gave in, she always did look gorgeous especially before she had the chance to put on make-up, but when he heard his mother call out once more, he just sighed again, hating that his loyalties seemed to always be pulled in opposite directions, whether with Hikari and his mother in his current life, or with Hikari and the girl that had been his sweetheart back in high school. "I can't just ignore her. She's my mom."

"Takeru!" Natsuko's voice boomed throughout the house, "If this is anything like the time that Patamon raided the fridge you might want to take a look at this!"

Takeru looked at the door to their room, and Hikari sighed just like he had earlier as she pushed him off of her unceremoniously. He grunted and frowned since he hadn't been expecting it, before he shook it off and grabbed some of the clothes that he had taken off, dressing himself as he ran to see what his mother wanted, taking one last second to turn back to Hikari as he dashed out of the room, "I'll be back soon, puddin' pop! We still have the whole Saturday ahead of us!"

Hikari doubted the fact that they would have the whole day together, but instead of being angry that he had gone off at his mother's beck and call again, she had only stared forlornly as Takeru left and as she again didn't get any action, since she had always felt that Takeru did indeed have quite the perfect ass. In fact she wasn't the only one of the Chosen who agreed with her on that point, on more than one occasion Hikari catching the otherwise completely heterosexual Daisuke staring at it longingly. Their old friend had been flustered when she had asked him about it, until he eventually said that if it was Takeru that it didn't count as gay. Apparently, her would be husband was pretty like a girl.

Accepting the fact that a nice good morning bang was out of the question, Hikari plopped out of bed and began to put on her pajama pants that she and Takeru had both excitedly thrown off of her a few minutes ago. If nothing else, she could at least surf the internet and have some nice breakfast while she looked at some fun new activities that she could try out with her kids. Sure they were a hassle sometimes, especially Makoto who insisted that his Digimon partner of BlackMetalGarurumon belonged in kindergarten just like he did, but she loved her students with all her heart even if they made her sometimes want to pull her hair out. It wasn't as glamorous as being a world famous novelist like her Takeru, or being named TIME magazine's Man of the Year for opening a noodle cart franchise like Daisuke was that one year that nothing important in the world happened, but she wouldn't trade her career for anything else in the world. Except for maybe some hot Takeru action, but that was besides the point.

She didn't bother to do her hair or make-up, maybe a nice lazy Saturday indoors would actually be good for once considering that she and Takeru were always up and about doing something or other, and she grabbed her laptop that was resting on the dresser as she then left her room and made her way downstairs. When she reached the bottom of the staircase though, she felt as if there was something that was different about the house that early morning, and she didn't know what it was until she caught the whiff of something in the air, the smell of food that she didn't think she would ever be able to cook for herself. She followed the smell to the dining area where it obviously came from, and when she reached there she saw Tailmon and Patamon eating omelets as they sat in their booster seats at the dining table that was placed adjacent to the kitchen. She was about to ask where they got the delicious smelling omelets they were munching on, but stopped when she heard the sound of something frying and peered directly into the kitchen where she saw Natsuko making the finishing touches on one last omelet.

"Good morning, dear," Natsuko practically sang while the older woman's back was turned to her, "isn't it a beautiful day?"

Hikari arched an eyebrow, over time having grown to be skeptical of anything that the woman said to her with a pleasant or nice tone. When Natsuko turned towards her and motioned for her to sit down at the dining table with the digimon she did so, though she made sure to set her laptop on the kitchen counter first since digimon were a messy lot, but Hikari was still cautious about what exactly Takeru's mother was getting at. She met eyes with Patamon, but he was eating his omelet with his bare paws as he munched away obliviously, before she shared a glance with Tailmon who, while she also had a suspicious glint in her eye, was also gladly eating the omelet that Hikari's archenemy had prepared.

She muttered a small thank you when Natsuko set a pair chop sticks and a plate with quite the scrumptious looking egg dish on it in front of her, but Hikari was still wary of eating it. She poked at it with one of her chop sticks, still not sure that she wanted to go out on a limb to eat something that Natsuko had 'accidentally' put laxatives in...again. The only upside about having that happen with the current omelet that Hikari was staring at was that at least this time it wasn't Christmas. Although, the woman did seem happier at the current moment as she hummed a quirky tune and twirled around the kitchen while the older woman finally grabbed some food for herself to eat. In fact, Hikari couldn't help but narrow her eyes at the sight. Natsuko seemed too happy.

"Are you okay?" Hikari asked with eyes that were still very narrow, thinking that Natsuko had finally upped the ante and put arsenic in her breakfast.

"I'm perfect." Natsuko sang out as if she was on some crappy musical sitcom about singing teenagers that praised their own diversity while also giving all the important songs and plot lines to the heterosexual white kids played by thirty year olds, "I was just wondering that since today is Saturday and all, and since Takeru is going to be busy all day, maybe we should have a girl's day out?"

"Where's Takeru?" Hikari questioned as the narrowness left her eyes while she looked around the kitchen from her seat when she finally realized that her schoomples was nowhere to be found.

"While I was out on my morning run I saw that some kids vandalized the nearby park, and so I sent Takeru out to go to city hall and offer to pay for the cleanup so that we can get this neighborhood sparkling again."

"Sounds tedious."

"It probably involves a lot of paperwork," Natsuko agreed with Hikari's claim of tediousness, before she decided to press on with her earlier suggestion on account of Hikari not addressing it, "but what do you say to a girl's day out?"

Hikari looked away for a second and rubbed the back of her neck since things got awkward whenever she and Natsuko were the only humans left in a room, before she sighed and felt that maybe at long last it would be best to just be honest with the woman. "Don't we kind of, you know, hate each other?"

"Oh, I don't hate you!" the older woman laughed that fake laugh that reporters always had whenever they gave interviews, "I have a cute nickname for you, don't I? What was it again?"

"Whore." Hikari deadpanned, vividly remembering the not so affectionate name that her future mother-in-law had called her by.

Natsuko opened her mouth to laugh again, but stopped and her face paled white as she tried to remember if she had ever called Hikari a whore. Well, she had, but what she was trying to figure out was whether or not she had called her that to her face. "What?"

"That's your nickname for me." Hikari confirmed, still not having touched her omelet, "Remember, it was during that Christmas party last year that you gave it to me? The one where you got trashed and started a fist fight between Taichi and Yamato."

Natsuko waved it off. "Oh, I didn't get that drunk."

Hikari's mouth went slightly ajar, not knowing what to say to that at first. "You had sex with my brother!"

The color returned to Natsuko's face as she laughed when she remembered how she had drunkenly hooked up with Yagami Taichi. "It wasn't as big a deal as everyone made it out to be."

"They didn't talk for months."

"Anyways," Natsuko began to change the subject since she was getting rather uncomfortable with Hikari bringing up that dreaded party. Though, it did turn out to be good for both her own and Taichi's careers, the hook-up being publicized and reaffirming Natsuko's position in the public eye as a strong independent woman that lived by her own standards instead of society's, and Taichi's PR political team daringly spinning the incident to make Taichi come off as less the Bill Clinton dalliance with Monica Lewinsky, and more of the John F. Kennedy charm that went down years ago with Marilyn Monroe, "how about we go have some fun? Just the two of us!"

"Just the two of us means no witnesses," Hikari sighed to herself dreamily, trying to remember all the ways that Dexter Morgan had gotten away with murder.

"Come again?" Natsuko asked, not quite hearing the young woman.

Coming back to reality, she frowned since solving her problems with Natsuko wouldn't be that easy. She didn't want to go, not at all, but perhaps a girl's day out could help to fix the minefield that had become of her relationship with her fiance's mother. If nothing else, Takeru would appreciate the effort. "What did you want to do today?"

Natsuko grinned, Jun and Piemon just a phone call away.

* * *

I'll have another chapter up in a week or two. It's been an odd week for me, one where I'm considering shaving off my biker beard and maybe thinking that I should stop shaving my head to chrome dome status.


End file.
